The Challenge
by poisonedship
Summary: My attempt at a 100 prompts challenge. Mainly focused on McKono.
1. Beginnings

**Beginnings**

They were together before they were _together_. Everyone who knew them, worked with them or spent more than five minutes in the presence of Steve and Kono knew that they belonged to each other, even if they weren't actually together.

It had started with the acknowledgement of feelings that they had for each other. A small talk on his couch following a trying day at work. Steve had admitted that she was no longer just a friend to him, and she had replied the same. But nothing happened. A verbal agreement was enough for then. From then on, they were each other's.

Then came the physical closeness. Hold hands longer than necessary when aiding the other. A warm hand on the other's back. Arms around shoulders and waists. Dancing closer. Kono perching on the edge of his chair until one day she had migrated onto his lap.

Before long they were spending more time out of work together than with anyone else. Running, hiking, surfing, swimming, going for a ride on his bike or in his dad's car (and having to help fix it when it breaks down). They had barbecues and dinner together that evolve into picnics on the beach or candlelit dinners on her coffee table. Over the period of time, Steve had more clothes at her place than he had in his overnight bag or at work, and Kono probably had the same at his. Eventually, they end up spending more and more time together, getting later and later until driving home becomes a ridiculous notion. Being the adults that they are, sharing a bed is the simplest solution.

Kisses were kept friendly or to the level of platonic. On the cheek, the forehead, on the top of the head occasionally. The mornings when they wake up together, Steve's usually the first one up and leaves her in bed with a brush of the lips to her forehand. Sometimes during the night when he can't sleep, Kono would reach out and run her hand through his hair repeatedly in a comforting gesture that almost always works, or strum her thumb over his stubbled cheek if she can't reach. He'd press a kiss to her palm or wrist before giving in to the sleep that followed. Soon, small pecks on the lips become a normal way of saying good morning and good night in the privacy of their homes or cars until a bad day begs the acknowledgement of each other and the kisses are no longer chaste but loving and deep.

Eventually, kisses are swapped throughout the day when they're not working and not only in bed. They grow with passion and need, with travelling hands and lips to explore each other's bodies be it on the couch, laying in the sand, frolicking in the sea or a cheeky stolen moment hidden in the shadows of some public place. A bar, a club or a get together they'd managed to escape from for a little while.

It's almost a year since they initially admitted their feelings for each other when they finally have make love. It's nothing forced or expected; nothing they had spoken about or tried and hesitated with. It just happens naturally after a lazy day spent tidying up her apartment from the mess Kono usually leaves it and lounging on the couch. A few lazy kisses become heated and he pulls her onto him so she's straddling his lap. Her hands work their own way into his hair while his do the same under her top. They both knew it wasn't going to stop until they went that final step and became as one that time, so no words were necessary. Somehow they had managed to co-ordinate well; losing clothes on their way to the bedroom where he deposited her half naked form on the bed and followed her not a second later.

The first time is slow. Learning everything about each other that they haven't so far and using everything they had learnt to heighten the pleasure.

The second time is more passionate and thrilling; leaving chills on both their skins in anticipation for something they've already felt but craved so much more.

The third time is in the morning after, and Steve lets her take charge. It's nothing less intense but it sends them both over the edge in a completely different way than the night before, or ever before.

It takes time before they become creative or explore their needs more. Faster, rougher, teasing, hands and mouths. It moves from the bedroom into the bathroom, and then the living room, the dining room, the beach, in the water and even in and on the car. Never at work though. Not yet. They get enough of an adrenaline rush from simply being together without the need to the added fear of getting caught. All they needed was each other.

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><p><em>AN: Hello. This is my second fanfic ever, and it's for H50 again, and McKono again. I do plan on making this multichaptered, but that's only the plan at the moment. I guess it will depend on the kind of response I get. My intention is to write a fic made up of oneshots from 100 different prompts from the '100 prompt challenge'. They'll revolve around McKono, but in different stages of their relationships, in different genres, and with different people. Some will be long, some will be short. If you could, please let me know what you thought about this and what you reckon about my idea._

_Thank you to Tiana-P again for motivating me to attempt this challenge. I do plan on posting another one-shot soon, based around McKono but with Danny/Mary too. Tiana-P has got me shipping them too from her fic 'The Power of Suggestion'._

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise from the tv show._


	2. Middles

**Middles**

Kono wakes up in the middle of the night to an empty bed. It's not an unusual thing because there are some night where Steve simply doesn't sleep, or sleeps for a few hours and gets up and then comes back in the morning. But after the news they had gotten yesterday, she worried. He hadn't slept much the night before but he had stayed in bed with her. That's how she knows that he had only gotten a maximum of 3 hours. She had thanked god that morning that it was a day off because his mind was clearly preoccupied with the orders he had recieved from the Navy.

Throwing aside the covers, Kono gets up and pads out of his bedroom and slowly through the upstairs landing towards the stairs. There's a small lamp on in the living room which guides her to him and she spots him sitting at the edge of the couch, hunched over with his elbows on his knees.

She whispers his name but he doesn't react and she gets the feeling that he didn't even hear her. The lamp is on the other side of him but it throws enough light for her to see the chain and tags hanging off it in his hands when he runs a thumb over it repeatedly. She has never seen them before and if she is honest, she had a feeling that he hadn't shown her or mentioned them because he didn't want her to know. She didn't know why but there was some things she didn't question.

Kono rests a hand on his back and he freezes for a moment at the touch. She brushes it off when he relaxes again and she sits down next to him, body turned towards him with her eyes fixed onto his face. All she can see are the sharp lines that make up his chiselled features because the harsh yellow light from the lamp doesn't do much to soften them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks him softly. Steve shakes his head once. "Ok." she relents easily and rubs his back. "Are you coming back to bed?"

Steve doesn't reply this time and Kono is sure that he didn't even hear her, if the way his hands tighten and clench around the dogtags are anything to go by. Something was definitely going on in his head, that was for sure, but she didn't know what. That is, until he turned to look at her. His usually clear blue eyes had been darker than usual ever since he had gotten the call, but right then, she could tell there was more to it. They were glassy, haunted, and _ scared_.

Her hand on his back stops and she can feel his heart pounding through his shirt. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't been waiting for this moment, but truth be told, she had put it to the back of her mind a few months earlier. She had expected something after the North Korea incident, but there had been no time for them to even pause before they caught another case at home and Steve would never take the time to simply work through what had happened. Then came the stuff with Shelburne, Joe, the Yakuza, having to deal with Jenna's death and Wo Fat on top of that, and all after escaping jail months before that.

Any other person would have broken down ages ago. Kono knows that she herself would not have managed to cope so well for so long. Even her undercover stint for IAB had left her shaken and stressed out to the point where Steve had recommended her to see a professional. She had turned it down, saying she was fine, but he had made it compulsory, telling her that she wouldn't be allowed back onto the team until she agreed. So she did and they had fought over it. Rather she had argued with him and he had simply stood there and taken it.

But he had been right and it had helped her immensely. So she had recommended that he do the same after a bout of insomnia that lasted for a week, but he had insisted he was fine talking to her. The problem was that he though he did talk to her, it was never to the level that would help. But the insomnia vanished and they moved onto other cases, other worries and other things. Slowly, Kono pushed it to the back of her mind and over time she convinced herself that everything had gone back to normal. Ignorance really was bliss.

She slides her hand over his to loosen the grip they have on the tags, and it falls to the floor with a metallic tinkle when his hands grip her hand instead. Steve's eyes are focused back onto his hand and she can hear him swallow repeatedly and clear his throat before he whispers,

"Tell me not to go."

"What?" Kono asks because she's not sure if she has heard him correctly or not. He turns to look at her again, brow furrowed in thought and eyes piercing into hers.

"Tell me not to go." he repeats quietly but in the silent night and from right next to her, the impact of the words are louder than a shout. His eyes cast downwards before she can reply and there is a more urgency to his words now. "Tell me not to go, and I won't. If _you_ tell me not to, I won't."

It becomes clear from the words that seem so foreign, caught in the middle of begging and hysteria dressed in calmness that only Steve could, that this was it. The call to active duty was the final straw and Kono didn't know why or how it had suddenly happened, but it had finally become too much for him.

"Ok." she assures him, rubbing his back soothingly even though she's not even sure if he can get out of it. If anyone could, it would be Steve.

He shakes his head gently before Kono can question him. She can hear his breathing become more erratic and his eyes catch hers as he speaks and the glassy look shatters into liquid and she realises that what she sees are now tears.

"Say it."

"Don't go, ok?" Kono says immediately, fighting away her own tears when his begin to catch on his eyelashes but never falling. "Don't go, don't go." she repeats and he nods, leaning into her.

She pulls him to her, allowing him to rest his head on her chest and she presses her face into his hair, gently stroking it with her hand in hopes to get him to calm down. Her other hand grips his as tightly as they grip hers.

"Don't go. You stay with me, ok, baby? Stay with me." she whispers whilst lifting her head up to rest her chin on his head and willing her tears away because she can feel his breathing slow into something more regular against her skin. "Stay with me. Don't go, just stay with me." she repeats and she's not sure whether she's telling him for his sake anymore, or if she's now saying it to keep him together.

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><p><em>AN: The response to this fic has been marvellous! I did not expect it at all. So much so that it gave me a bit of a self-conscious moment, or moments, where I changed this chapter about 3 times today. First it was an entirely different plotline, then it was something a bit similar but very short, and then finally I settled on this. Even then, this chapter made me it's bitch. But I think I've tamed it... And of course, the prompt was 'Middles' and I used it very loosely here. I hope it still qualifies though._

_Just to explain - this is set a while after Joe leaves. I'm not going to say when, that's up to you, but it's in time where it's all festered up inside of him. With everything that's happened, I can't shake the feeling that even someone like Steve would have a breakdown in the end. He is only human, after all. Even if he is a very hot and sexy and kickass one at that._

_Thank you all for the reviews and alerts from last chapter. I do hope you enjoyed this one as well. Please do let me know what I'm doing right/wrong. _

_Many thanks to Tiana-P again for reminding me of the things that Steve's gone through this season alone, and putting up with me all day when I had several mini-meltdowns over this chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything you might recognise from the tv unfortunately._


	3. Ends

**Ends**

The end is nigh. That's what they say, right? That the end is coming soon. That they should be prepared. That it will only happen once.

But it's not true. Maybe in the terms of the end of the world in general, but not in the terms of the end of _his_ world. Steve might be the only person who can say that he has experienced the end multiple times, only for it to happen again.

First, it was when his mom died. It had shattered everything he had known. The perfect family. The perfect future. The perfect life. He was sent to live on the mainland, away from his father and away from his sister; the only other person who knew what he had felt. He hadn't been prepared for any of that.

Then his father. They hadn't spoken in years and that should have been a sign in itself. Yet the surprise was still there when Anton Hesse took the phone, demanding the release of his brother before taking his father's life; all the while on the phone to him. Steve had vowed revenge there and then. He had gotten use to loss, as much as a human could. It didn't cut him deep anymore, not after losing so many men in the field. But he could remember each one, and this was no difference. Only this time it was personal. He hadn't been prepared for the repercussions that followed.

His return to Hawai'i had been hard. Returning home after many years and because of his father's death wasn't the ideal situation. But the Governor's support into helping him find Hesse was incentive enough to keep him there. He found a team - and a new family - before they had caught a new case and he was glad to be home. They had found Hesse and he had killed him. Shot him twice. Straight into the chest and into the ocean. Steve hadn't spared a second thought to it, sure they would find his body washed up somewhere and that would be the end of it. Closure and revenge in one.

He should have known better when there was no sighting of Hesse's body, but the idea of a watery grave - literally sleeping with the fishes - was enough for him especially after what he had done to his father. Time passed and Five-0 worked, grew closer and helped him on the case of his mother's death and the evidence found in the Champ toolbox. And then Hesse reappeared, this time cornering Chin with a bomb collar out on the streets of Oahu for everyone to see. Luckily, the end this time was good. They captured Hesse and got Chin back alive.

Steve also met Wo Fat, and let him go. How was he supposed to know that he was the mastermind behind it all? The man who would go on to kill Jenna, torture him, terrorize his family, get them caught in the middle with the Yakuza. The list went on. There was no end. Hesse led them to Wo Fat, who led them to the Yakuza, who led them to Shelburne, who he had thought ended with Joe. But there was more. Wo Fat didn't stop there.

He knew personal relations gave his enemies a bigger berth to hurt him with. But he couldn't fight the family he gained with his team, or the growing affection for his rookie. He tried; convinced himself that they were a team and that's all and that Kono was simply a very beautiful woman who elicited feelings purely on a physical matter.

That had lasted all of 3 weeks.

The team became _ohana_ and Kono became something more.

Time passed and they carried on with their jobs. Wo Fat was the constant in their cases - if they caught wind of him or found him everything else was dropped. And it happened multiple times over the years. But Steve never got the chance to end him because he was always one step ahead. He always had leverage. A man on the same flight that his sister was then working on. A gun trained at his partner's head guaranteed to kill. A car waiting to crashing into Chin's bike as he rushed to where they were. A bomb strapped to the underside of Kono's car with the trigger in his hand.

It always varied but it was always one of them. Never him. Because Wo Fat knew that Steve didn't care if he died, as long as he took him with him. But he wouldn't let him take another life of someone he loved.

Eventually Steve had solved all the riddles, cleared the air, and discovered the truth to his family and behind his mother's death. It was horrible, it was discerning, but it was the truth and that was all he needed. It had taken years - decades - but in the end, it was what was needed. He had his family by his side to help him through it and his wife to comfort him. Together they made up the team who hunted down Wo Fat for the last time. There were no more questions or time for playing games. _This_ had been the time to end it for once and for all.

Steve hadn't gone with the intention of killing him. Only to apprehend him so he could spend the rest of his life in solitary, either going mad or thinking about what he did. Steve had a plan. He had been prepared. They'd take out all of Wo Fat's men, ensure there was no way for him to find leverage, capture him, put him in jail and await the court to sentence him. Once in prison, he would visit him every now and again to see how he was doing whilst being able to carry on with his life. Keep Hawai'i safe, spend time with his friends, give Kono the family she always wanted; all without having to look over his shoulder anymore.

And it almost worked. He had been so close. So very close. But the final fight, just before Steve managed to knock him to the ground, Wo Fat fired one last bullet, aimed randomly and hitting a gas canister among 5 more in the corner of the room where they were. It caused an explosion and Steve had ran out of there before the others went off, demanding the rest of the team out too. Danny, who had had his back. Chin, who had been rounding the other entrance. Kono, who had been ready outside.

The explosion had been huge and with Wo Fat inside, Steve was happy to be out of it. That was until he noticed Danny and Chin on the ground near him, with the latter already getting to his feet in the direction to where he was sure Kono had been waiting. Steve didn't have to see it to know that it wouldn't be good, but he had forced himself onto his feet and headed in that direction anyway, stopping only to fall to his knees next to where she laid with a slab of metal piercing her abdomen and a smaller one in her leg. The explosion had blown in her direction, and she hadn't been able to get away quick enough.

Kono had been conscious until the ambulance got near. He had kept her talking which drifted into murmurs and finally nothing. But the pressure the three of them kept on her wounds made sure she didn't bleed out there and then. Then the EMTs arrived and Steve's sure they had to practically force the three of them away to help her.

The rest is a blur. He remembers getting confirmation that Wo Fat truly was dead, that they had found his charred body after dousing out the flames. He remembers not caring much beyond the fact that he no longer had to worry about anyone he loves being in danger except for Kono who was at that moment in surgery. The doctors hadn't been confident and told them to prepare for the worst. Steve couldn't think like that because he finally has what he had wanted for as long as he could remember and the only thing he needs then is her by his side.

But it wasn't meant to be. Two weeks later and Steve sits next to the bed he has been at for the fortnight, leaving only to shower, change and use the bathroom. Not once has she woken up, not once has she breathed by herself. The loss of blood had been too much and her heart had stopped multiple times on the table until the lack of oxygen had left her brain dead. They put her on a life support system after the last time they had resuscitated her and the rest Steve didn't understand. Because when he holds her hand, it's still soft and smooth as it always has been. It's still warm. She's still got the tanned look to her skin and her hair is still that dark brown, fanned out on her pillow like a Hawaiian goddess.

She's beautiful and if it wasn't for the tubes, wires and the constant beeping of the machines around them, he could probably make himself believe that they were back at home in bed and he is watching her sleep like he does on most mornings.

They've all been in. Her family, her friends, their team. The latter visit everyday with Danny getting him out of the room to eat and Chin sitting with his cousin. They slowly brought up the topic of switching off her life support but he wouldn't hear anything about it. Day after day, he'd ignore them until finally they force him to listen. Remind him that he's not the only one hurting or losing someone, but he is the only one with the choice and the final decision.

Everyone says it's what's best for her and it's what she would have wanted. In the end, there's nothing left to do but to sign the papers and allow the doctors to flick a small switch that truly finally takes her away.

Out of all the things he's lost, all the endings he's encountered, this is the only one he's been able to control, and it hurts the worst.

* * *

><p><em>AN Thank you again for the reviews and add. It means a lot to me and really motivates me to write more. This chapter was not supposed to be sad at all. In fact, my first idea was a load of smut, but it didn't fit it well. I can't help but write angst for some reason. Hopefully the next one will be lighter and happier._

_I must thank Tiana-P again for letting me discuss ideas with her and for her help._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with Hawaii Five-0._


	4. Insides

**Insides**

She keeps it all inside. Tries to at least. Kono's sure she's gotten the hang of it after 3 years but there are times when she slips up. Such whenever Steve crosses his arms and she can't help being hopelessly intrigued by the way his muscles move. When he smiles at her and she can't help the way she automatically smiles back. When he's topless for one reason or another, and this coming from someone who's spent most of their life around hot topless males, she can't help but wonder exactly how it would feel to have her own naked body pressed against his. But she's not shallow. Aspects of his personality make her slip up too. Like when he makes a joke or has a witty comeback for one of Danny's rants or complaints, or when he joins in with her teasing the New Jersey native.

At most times, the slip ups are fine. It's a normal response to laugh at a joke, to smile back at some, to initiate a high five after doing something great. Other times, it's not. But she's become such a master at keeping her inappropriate feelings and thoughts on the inside that she can cover it up easily.

But over time, she notices something. It's not only her slipping up anymore. And unlike her, Steve doesn't bother to keep it inside. He'll openly stare after her, stand that small bit closer, lower his voice a tone lower when they stood next to each other at the smart table and he murmured something. She's doesn't know why no one else has mentioned anything to her about it because it's very obvious that Steve is far less than professional to her. It's not that she minds; quite the opposite actually, but she would like the acknowledgement of it so she knew whether she was going crazy or not.

Keeping things on the inside isn't the easiest thing either, not when you have to work with the man almost every day, and see him on the days where they weren't working because they were friends too. Then there was the fact that Steve McGarrett was a fairly good looking guy. Kono'd admit that there was much more to be said to that statement, but she wouldn't go there because otherwise she'd be blushing for the next week every time he looks at her. But being a fairly good looking guy means that he gets attention from the ladies when they're hanging out after work, or even while working sometimes. Jealousy is an ugly emotion. Stupid too. A waste of energy, especially when the man wasn't even hers to get jealous over. But she couldn't help it.

To make things worse, she can't really talk to anyone about it either. Her closest friends comprise of Five-0, which is a definite no-go, and a couple of friends from the academy who didn't disregard her because of her connection to Chin, and a few good school and surfing friends. None of them could help her, so she never tells them.

Until one evening when the team are out celebrating a case well done and Kono bumps into a friend of hers from school that she hasn't seen in a while. She seems upset; drinking alone and dressed up to the nines in a friendly bar. So she takes the time to get a table with her until it's her turn at the pool table where Chin and Danny were currently competing with Steve refereeing. Hopefully she can get her to cheer up by then too.

They talk for a little while about what's going on with Leia and why she's in a bad mood. Somehow, Kono's not that surprised to find it was boy troubles because that did seem like to be the story of both their lives. But Leia seems a bit more upbeat about it after their talk; she even suggests jumping the bones of the next person who walks through the door only to take it back when it's a middle aged native who already seems too eager.

"God, Kono, your boss is too hot." Leia tells Kono in a low moan, glancing towards where the pool tables were behind and to the left of Kono. Kono almost chokes on her drink because she already knows this and the last thing she needs is her jealousy to rise up right now. "Fuck, those tats. I would not mind seeing how far they go." she says suggestively, turning her eyes back to her.

"They don't go far." Kono informs her with a roll of the eyes.

"Has somebody been reaping extra benefits from work?" Leia asks in shock but Kono glares her down so she shrugs. "He's not your boss right now. And he's definitely not _my_ boss. If nobody jumps him before I leave, I will."

"Good luck with that." Kono snorts.

"Is he taken? Oh, don't tell me he's gay. Why are all the good guys gay?" Leia cries dramatically and Kono stares at her in disbelieve because there is not a single thing about Steve that screams gay. She wonders if Leia has run into a string of relationships failing because of her beau being gay too.

"He's not gay." Kono assures her. "But Steve doesn't pick up girls from bars. Much less ones who are practically undressing him with their eyes." she tells her roughly, wanting to kick her in the shin but she can't do it without risking falling off the stool she's sitting on.

"I'm not." Leia says even as her eyes go back towards the direction of where the boys were. This time they linger a bit longer and she's shooting a flirty smile and a wave. "I would give up sex for the rest of my life to feel that smile against my lips." she mutters to her and Kono smiles softly because she knows what she means.

"Stop it. That's my boss and I don't need those images." Kono tells her hoping to sound more forceful than envious.

"Ok, let's stop pretending here Kono." Leia demands turning all her attention back to her seriously. "Firstly, it's more than obvious that you've already had these images and probably more for a while now. Secondly, the smile was very polite and was the nod. No wave back because he was looking at you."

"What?" Kono asks in shock. She had felt eyes on her every now and again but she was use to the attention and she ignored it to avoid unnecessary situations. She never thought it could have been _Steve's_ eyes on her.

"The second you came over to me, he's been glancing over every other minute or so. To make sure you're still here and ok or something something."

"Yeah, he's really protective of the team." Kono confirms but Leia laughs.

"Oh no, Kono. He's _lookin__g _in a way to make sure you're still with me and not some other guy. I saw you two before too." she tells her with a nod. "He touches you a bit too often for just a boss."

Kono moans and sits back heavily in her chair. She had noticed that too, the way he held the door open for her and then following her with a hand on her back, standing in her personal space when they went to order drinks for the team, slinging an arm over the back of her chair when they sat drinking. She's glad someone else has noticed it too, finally, but now comes the new dilemma. What to do now?

"I guess there's no point in asking you if you like him because I don't think there's a female on this planet who'd say no." Leia says confidently. "Or at least want to sleep with him."

"Ok! This is still my boss we're talking about. Until anything changes, things like that will make it harder for me to do my job." Kono stops her from going on because images fill her mind again, this time of her and a certain SEAL in bed, clothes strewn, sheets wrapped around them as their sweaty bodies slide against each other.

"Or more fun." Leia comments lewdly and Kono can feel her cheeks begin to tint and she thanks her personal guardian angel, because she's sure she has one with the kind of life she leads, that she's sitting with her back to the boys otherwise she'd never hear the end of it.

"I-" Kono hesitates, faltering when she fails to come up with anything dignified to say. "Shut up." she settles with in the end.

"Ok ok." Leia laughs and nods. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel awkward. Just wanted to point out the awesome life you currently have."

"Thank you for that." Kono says, not at all sincere.

"On the up side, you have made me feel better." Leia informs her and it does actually make Kono feel a bit better because she's nice like that and likes to make and see others happy. "And I think I'll be ok without a guy for another few weeks."

They finish off their drinks and conversation after that and then get up to exchange a goodbye hug before Leia leaves the place and Kono heads back to the rest of the team. Danny and Chin were still playing pool, but taking into account the number of balls on the table, she guesses that they have started a new game.

"Friend?" Steve asks her with a nod towards the table they had been sitting at when she stops by his side, hopping onto the stool next to the table he leaned again.

"Yeah. Leia." she tells him. He nods with a soft smile.

"Pretty girl." he says with a casual shrug. Kono raises her eyebrows at him in disbelief.

"Yeah. Want me to set the two of you up?" she asks in what she hopes is her teasing voice because the smile she puts on is sure meant to go with that. Steve laughs and shakes his head.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks." he tells her, breaking back into her personal space by shifting and leaning against the side of her stool.

They spend the rest of the night talking and teasing and Kono drinks more than she thinks she should but they're all having fun competing against each other at pool that she puts it out of her mind. In the end, it's only Steve and her left after Danny goes home because he has Grace the next day and Chin has a wife to pick up from her late shift at the hospital. Steve assures him that he'll give her a ride home, and Kono merely shakes her head at their planning about her without even consulting her.

True to his word, he drives her home after they shoot a couple of rounds of pool and the bar starts to empty out. He walks her to her door to her confusion, but she goes long with it because it's comforting. A hand lands on her hip when they walk up the stairs in front of her house, sliding forward a bit until his fingers rest over one of her jeans' pockets. Kono grins to herself, placing a hand on top of his and squeezing it gently before shifting the hand up onto her waist so she can access her pocket for the house keys.

"Want to come in?" she asks him without looking at him, unlocking the door instead.

"Kono," Steve whispers and she understands his apprehension so she turns to look at him, taking a step into her house but not far enough for his hand to drop. He smiles at her, and she smiles back automatically. Any coyness she might think she would have felt at this moment in all her thoughts is gone. "How much did you have to drink?"

"I'm not drunk," she tells him. "Or tipsy. Ok, maybe a bit less sober than I was this morning."

"I don't want to take advantage." he says and she's pretty sure she falls in love with him a bit more right then. Nodding, she doesn't let him say anything else and pulls him by his shirt towards him.

Steve gets the message straight away and before she knows it, his lips are on hers, hands gripping at her hips and body pushing hers backwards. She vaguely registers the door being slammed shut, but all she can focus on is the way his unbelievably soft lips tease hers open and the swipe of the tongue that follows. Kono moans in pleasure, tightening her clutches on his shirt and lets the kiss get a bit more passionate and almost dirty.

She's not sure how he knows where her bedroom is because he's only been to her place a couple of times before but she's in her room and he's getting her naked at the same speed as she's tugging away his clothes. They collapse on the bed with her under him and his body is heavy and warm, but the weight is welcoming because it's _him_.

Hands trail all over her body and she does the same with his; trying to memorize every muscle, ridge and scar they come across because she's fairly sure they'll tell her more about him than he ever will. His mouth is warm and wet along her skin, tracing paths along her neck, collar, breasts and stomach before going lower where Kono loses all thoughts for the rest of the night except for his name.

When they finally make love, it's incredible. It's so much more than incredible, but she has no word for it. It's _Steve_. But not how she knows him. It's gentle, passionate, caring, toecurling, and all round perfect. Not Steve at all. After he pushes her over the edge for the 4th time that night, he allows himself to follow inside of her before collapsing onto her and she welcomes, and even accommodates, his weight again.

They don't say anything after that, but his arms wrap around her the best they can and she does the same with her own; one hand flat against his strong warm back and the other in his hair, stoking it gently before letting it settle dug deep through the strands. Kono finds that she likes this position more than she probably should, with his head on her chest, eyelashes skimming her skin as he blinked, slowing until she felt them close. She felt safe and comforted. Loved and wanted. Protected even, and an odd ounce of pride that it was her he trusted enough to freely act like this with.

And it's when she's falling asleep herself that he shifts in his sleep when she raises a leg to rest against his hip comfortably that she realizes that he's still inside of her, connecting them intimately throughout the night.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I apologize for the delay. I broke my arm and only had the cast taken off last week, so writing has been hard and it still is, but I'm using it as a form of rehab to get it stronger again. This chapter is far more lighter than the last one because I felt like it we all need a break from the angst. I know I did._

_Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic so far and my others. I will carry on with Keeping it in the Family asap and update as soon as I have a new chapter._

_Big thanks to all those on tumblr who have motivated me to write by liking my posts and replying saying they're happy I'm writing again._

_Disclaimer__: I own nothing you recognize from the tv._


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